2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Teaching Effective Communication for Teamwork
Presented at Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM) Technical Session 2
This is a Work in Progress paper.
Although engineering curricula focus primarily on technical knowledge and skills, soft skills such as teamwork are essential for practicing engineers. Engineers are often expected to collaborate in large teams consisting of individuals with varying expertise. In addition to technical contributions, engineers must be capable of effective communication and conflict management to succeed. Unfortunately, engineering graduates can be ill-prepared to work as effective team members due to poor teamwork experiences in their undergraduate education. While educators hope that students can learn from poor experiences, the reality is that students may not be learning what they need to perform well on a team in the future. Students need guidance on what makes an effective team.
At a University, a group of mechanical engineering faculty are developing three training modules aimed at helping students develop effective teamwork skills in their sophomore, junior, and senior years. Each module focuses on a different aspect of teamwork and is taught during one class lecture. The first module introduces the stages of team development and setting expectations using a team charter in a sophomore-level course. In a junior-level course, the second module focuses on effective communication and awareness of different working styles. The third module will cover conflict resolution in a senior-level course.
In this paper, we will present the second module, which was fully implemented for the first time in Fall 2023. This effective communication module was conducted in a workshop-style format. The students completed an individual activity and then needed to combine their efforts into a shared team solution. The activity provided a quick example of how they typically work as a team and communicate with little time. We then shared a video with several examples of failures and misconceptions that can result from ineffective communication. Cross-cultural communication was highlighted because team members may make assumptions based on culture, background, or current circumstances. Finally, students completed a working styles assessment to bring awareness of different working styles. They reflected on how communication and interactions may differ between these working styles and how they can adapt to different situations. Students were then asked to connect their new understandings to the initial activity reflecting on their own style and that of their teammates. The paper will share more detailed information about the training workshop.
The post-training reflection module shows promising results, with students identifying how to be better team members, realizing that they can be more open-minded, and recognizing the importance of establishing trust within a team. The students are currently working on a class project and will complete a team experience survey. We will share initial results comparing this semester’s survey results to a baseline group that did not receive the teamwork training. These results will guide our improvement of the second module and the development of the third module.
Keywords: teams, team dynamics, teamwork training, working styles, communication
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Dr. Joanna Tsenn Texas A&M University [biography]
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Dr. Shadi Balawi Texas A&M University [biography]
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Dr. Carlos R. Corleto Texas A&M University [biography]
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